WASHINGTON – House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Jim Costa of California issued the following statement this afternoon in response to USDA’s second round of assistance to farmers impacted by the Administration’s trade war:

“This rushed and poorly-planned bailout raises the troubling possibility that some of the nation’s most valuable agricultural products, like the fruit and vegetable crops produced in Central California, will receive a different and possibly reduced level of aid.

“For more than a year now, producers of every commodity have said the same thing: they want long-term access to export markets, not hasty attempts by the federal government to clean up its own mess.

“Rather than waste more time and resources on temporary band-aids, USDA should focus on implementing the safety net Congress established in the farm bill. I urge the White House to rescind the tariffs and sit down in a constructive manner with the Chinese to address issues that will actually improve the market for our farmers. This just shows, as I’ve long said, nobody wins a trade war—everyone has leverage.”